REVIEW: The Inbetweeners Movie

Immediately after the release of the third series in this gigantically popular British sitcom, there was the announcement of a planned feature film. Although, the excitement for it was huge and was already one of the most anticipating films of 2011, there were perhaps some suspicions and maybe even some desperation from the makers due to the fact that series 3 became a huge popular hit, and therefore wanted to improve on the reputation of it as a whole (hence the idea of a feature film). Considering the fact that both the film and the TV series do suffer a little from repetition, the film is an absolute pleasure to watch and is filled with its shocking and crude jokes and is an all-round wild adventure.

Having said that the film is filled with extremely vulgar and crude jokes (jokes you couldn’t possibly imagine), there are two things that are required for a viewer to get the full enjoyment from this. One, it is perhaps needed to watch all three series’ first so then they can truly understand the nature of the characters and the jokes. And two, depending on the individual, you really need to have the right sense of humour to enjoy it. We have seen many teen films involving similar themes as The Inbetweeners Movie has, but The Inbetweeners as a whole is one on its own and tells its tale by sending out its message about coming of age involving the next step in life from a teenager to an adult. Previously in the series, every single episode ends in either disastrous catastrophes or complex complications, but in the film there are a few slight adjustments and isn’t as predictable as it may look. In fact, it is one of the very rare romantic-comedies (it fits in that genre) that does have its unpredictability concepts in the dialogue.

In many teen films, we have seen a group of characters on a rather desperate mission to achieve something that is hopelessly idiotic (examples: four lads seeking to lose their virginity on a specific date, 3 guys and a girl going across Europe to meet a pen pal etc). However, in the case of the events that occur in the lives of Will, Jay, Neil and Simon that are still hopeless and disastrous but are well-intentioned and really do look like they could make the most of their lives. Plus, despite all four of them are all different personalities and grew up and live in different backgrounds, they are all equally as cool as each other (so not really cool at all). In the series, Simon Bird gave the best performance as Will McKenzie and he reprises the role in the film. Once again, Bird provides the exact definition of a typical geek and a gentleman and gives a performance to remember! Having bought back memories of Seann William Scott as Steve Stifler (American Piefilms) and Jacob Pitts as Cooper Harris (EuroTrip), James Buckley gives an absolutely fantastic performance as Jay Cartwright. He expressed a typical sex-obsessed teenager, but as the film progressed, there was a newly revealed side to Jay as he slowly transforms from the boy he once was, to the man he has now become.

Neil Sutherland is my personal favourite of the gang, and he is perhaps the strongest and most extraordinary character out of them. In the series, he is the slowest and the most unintelligent guy. However, in the film, although he still feels like the same Neil in the series, we see a slightly different and new Neil where his true colours are exposed. Blake Harrison gives such a fantastic performance, and he was born for that character. As for the final lad in the gang, Simon Cooper: he is still annoyingly obsessed and is still being strung along by the cold-hearted Carli D’Amato. As annoying as Simon is and is perhaps the biggest loser of the four, he perfectly demonstrates that some young men are well-intentioned in relationships but women aren’t, so that does make him still a good character. Although they’ll still feel like the Inbetweeners, Simon, James, Blake and Joe should stick around and be part of some other major projects in the near future. Emily Head, Greg Davies, Belinda Stewart-Wilson, Alex MacQueen, David Schaal, Martin Trenaman and Robin Weaver reprise their small supporting roles from the series into the film. So, it was good to see them return once more.

New stars Laura Haddock, Tamla Kari, Jessica Knappet and Lydia Rose Bewley are given the honours of portraying Alison (love interest of Will), Lucy (love interest of Simon), Lisa (love interest of Neil) and Jane (love interest of Jay), and they are all just like the four boys who are all almost totally different kinds of people yet they all bond together somehow because they stick together. All of the girls are exactly what all of the boys need in order for them to move on and take the next step in life, especially between Lucy and Simon and Jay and Jane. Although Tamla Kari as Lucy is perhaps the most appealing on the eyes of the four, Laura Haddock delivers the best performance as Alison. A character like Alison proves that although her and Will are perhaps a very strange match due to looks, but they both bond together, share each other’s feelings and understand each other.

On two occasions, we have seen Ben Palmer’s work as director in the second and third series of The Inbetweeners, he makes his return as director of the feature film. Despite already knowing exactly what to expect, he didn’t let slip the reality or the feelings from the original series feel almost the same. As far as the technical side of The Inbetweeners as a whole is that the editing of the film has been impressive and due to the backgrounds settings, it feels like it’s really happening (almost like a documentary on a few occasions). After all three seasons and the feature film, Damon Beesley and Iain Morris really have written some of the finest comedy screenplays in recent memory. Considering that it is filled with perhaps the most vulgar jokes you could possibly imagine and where it does suffer from repetition the most, the humour in both the film and the series isn’t anything like we had seen previously. The most remarkable concept about The Inbetweenersis that although we are aware that it is scripted, of course, but it is so accurately written by expressing the behaviour of British teenagers in general.

Overall, The Inbetweeners Movie is a true summer film that is full of sun, hot babes and hilarious comedy! It is a lesson to teenage comedies and to summer comedies that this is exactly how it’s done and has it all, just like in the TV series. Therefore, it proves itself to be one of the finest achievements in British cinema of this generation, in the comedy genre and a very strong farewell!